Meningitis now strikes 8 in N.H.

Friday

Oct 19, 2012 at 3:15 AMOct 19, 2012 at 10:05 AM

By Oliver Jenkinsojenkins@fosters.com

SOMERSWORTH — The state Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that two additional cases of fungal meningitis have been confirmed in New Hampshire — bringing the state's new total to eight. Currently, 257 cases have been confirmed — with 20 deaths — across 16 states. Locally, Somersworth Mayor Matthew Spencer informed the public in a press release earlier this week that he is being treated as a precautionary measure for symptoms related to the widespread outbreak. Spencer was treated for several days as an in-patient at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover.“I am currently following through with home treatments and being monitored by doctors. I appreciate the care I received from the caring professionals at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and support from PainCare LLC in Somersworth,” he said Tuesday. “I am heartened by the concern and warm thoughts shared by many city employees and residents of Somersworth.”In a press release issued Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging all health care providers to contact patients who received any injectable products from the New England Compounding Center of Framingham, Massachusetts since May 21, 2012. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided states with a list generated by the Food and Drug Administration which included all facilities that received products from the pharmacy in question after May 21. In New Hampshire, three separate PainCare clinics — in Somersworth, Newington, and Merrimack — have been linked to the tainted medication, which is used primarily as an injection to treat back pain.However, this new precaution includes an expanded list of products compared with just the initial recalled medication. This list includes any injectable product from the pharmacy, as well as any ophthalmic drug that is used in conjunction with eye surgery and a cardioplegic solution — a solution that can be used in certain cardiac surgeries. The Division of Public Health Services is posting online the names of the 24 healthcare providers in New Hampshire who received these products. These healthcare providers, who have been contacted by DPHS, are currently reviewing records to verify if these medications were used to treat patients. “We recognize that there is a great deal of confusion around the medications and who is at risk during this quickly evolving situation,” said New Hampshire's Public Health Director Jose Montero. “We do not yet have confirmation that other medications have been contaminated, but it is important that New Hampshire residents who received these injections be informed and watch closely for any change in their status possibly related to these drugs.”For patients who received back injections, symptoms to be aware of include headache, fever, nausea, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, and signs of stroke such as weakness or numbness in any part of the body along with slurred speech. Patients who received joint injections should report to their provider if they have local symptoms including increased pain, swelling, and redness or warmth at the site of injection.Patients who had eye surgery should monitor for visual changes, pain, redness, or discharge from the eye. Patients who have had chest pain should monitor for chest pain or drainage from the surgical site. Patients should contact their healthcare provider if they experience any of these signs or symptoms. This investigation remains active and information on cases continues to be gathered in order to understand the extent of this outbreak.